Annette L. Stanton, PhD

• Seeking to improve quality of life through evidence-based interventions that promote the health and well-being of women during and after breast cancer treatment.

• Studies are ongoing aimed at understanding the barriers in adherence to therapy, the challenges of living with metastatic breast cancer, and factors that lead to depression after a breast cancer diagnosis.

• These studies will inform effective interventions that can extend the lives and improve quality of life in patients with advanced breast cancer.

Dr. Stanton is conducting several studies aimed at improving outcomes and quality of life after a breast cancer diagnosis. She continues to collect and analyze data from a randomized, controlled trial to identify factors that either promote or hinder adherence to the endocrine therapy and to test a video-based intervention in breast cancer survivors.

Early results from this trial indicate that women who practice a strategy to maintain adherence (e.g., reminders that tamoxifen can prevent recurrence) were more successful at staying on therapy. Conversely, women who had lower social support were more likely to experience depressive symptoms, which predicted lower objective adherence. 

Another ongoing effort is to address challenges of living with metastatic disease. The team is currently testing an intervention for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) called Project Connect Online, in which patients create personal websites to chronicle their experience and communicate within their social networks.

A third ongoing project will identify what makes some women vulnerable to depression. The group’s analyses revealed that women who were able to accept their diagnosis and express their emotions had the lowest risk for depression.

These studies will lead to better strategies to help women stick with their endocrine therapy, which ultimately can save lives and improve quality of life for women living with advanced disease.